Zoids: Kaiju Thunder
by CrapMonsterDuchess
Summary: Legends from ancient Earth resurrect on Zi to wage a millenia old war. Forced into roles they did not ask for, the pilots of these Kaiju zoids are caught in a fiery conflict between man, monster, and machine. To the victor goes Zi . . . or what will be
1. Secret of the Ruins

Author's Notes: This story originally began as Kaiju Horizons several years ago but I, like many people, have matured and improved in writing skills (at least that's what I'd like to think). Thus, I have taken a brief hiatus to rewrite and complete the story proper. The characters and zoids from the original drafts are still there, although sometimes under new names. I have decided to completely break away from the NC0 timeline to enhance the originality value of it. 

For you new comers, this story is in essence, about zoids. Underlying that, however, is a provoking fable about purpose in life, the acceptance of others, and revenge from beyond the grave to list a few. Some very contemplative crap will be going down hand in hand with the violence and the story will at least attempt to be serious in most regards. Several zoids that appear will be inhabited by the souls of dead monsters, or Kaiju; more specifically, the souls of some monsters from the Heisei Era Godzilla and Mothra films. While some appear more than others, I intend to give each Kaiju Zoid their respective dues so everyone will go home happy.

Zoids: Kaiju Thunder

Secret of the Ruins; The King of the Monsters

The sun steadily rose through the sky as it had done for billions of years, spreading light to a new face of Zi. Dawn—it was always the start of a new day and new beginnings for those who needed it. With the movement of the sun, dynasties rose and civilization fell, as was the eternal doctrine for life on the planet. Time and time again, disaster had torn the planet asunder, but after each terrifying incident, the survivors were able to rebuild and begin anew, as they had done for millennia. For those who made it through the night, tomorrow held the promise of a fresh start. Great or small, human or zoid, there was no way of predicting the effects of a new day's changes; even as the old order slipped away, life could only guess at what upheavals another era would bring. As fate would soon prove again, no one could have anticipated the fiery age to come, born from the simplest of daybreaks.

As dew caught the first rays of light, the entire surface of the planet seemed sparkle as if littered with millions of diamonds. Aided by the warmth life began to stir; soon, the entire planet was awake with the sound of zoid battles.

The starting bell was met by the furious bellows of two lion-types: one blox, and one older generation Liger. The Leo Striker and Shield Liger DCS-J sprinted side by side, covering the ground in leaps and bounds as they moved towards inevitable conflict.

The blox pilot was the first to speak. "Are you picking anything up yet?"

"Two units several hundred meters ahead of us; one on top of a hill directly in front and the other hiding to our right." The Liger replied. His voice was tainted with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm. "The hills should be able to protect us from attack until we get closer." Without warning, a succession of explosions erupted around both zoids, showering them in dirt and dust while scorching outer armor. A beam of concentrated energy lanced out from amidst the chaos and struck the larger Liger, nearly knocking it to the ground.

"Protect us, my ass! Split up! Split up!" Leo Striker broke away from her partner and sprinted towards the hills to the right. It was from there that the mortar barrage originated.

Safely hidden behind a hill, the attacker—a white, Urban Combat Command Wolf, waited patiently. Smoke dispersed from the dischargers behind it in order to shroud the zoid in a protective veil of darkness, while explosive mortars continued to fly from its four launchers in parabolic arcs. "That's right little one, come to momma."

"I told you to stop calling me that!" The Leo Striker bounded over the hill only a few seconds later, leaping with claws aimed towards the muzzle flash of the wolf's mortars. Ceasing its attack at the last second, the lupine zoid effectively vanished, leaving the Leo Striker to slice through wisps of smoke. Instinctively, the lion-like blox zoid leapt again and barely managed to dodge the Command Wolf's follow up barrage. The Leo Striker immediately returned fire before its target could hide again and the smoke from explosions mixed in with those generated by the Wolf as it was plastered with heavy damages across the board. In response, the Command Wolf struck again with a 16-rocket assault; the echo of the blasts could be heard for kilometers.

A while's back, the Shield Liger continued to struggle against the successive beam attacks from an unseen enemy. Only when it managed to activate its energy shield did the vicious onslaught cease. On a pair of massive legs, its opponent thundered into view; it was a medium-sized bipedal dinosaur type-- the God Kaiser.

"Come on Eiji, you can put up a better fight than that." With those words, the God Kaiser began to intensify the assault.

It would only be a matter of moments before the shield was depleted of energy. In a desperate move, the lion zoid sprung to its feet and charged the God Kaiser, using its shield as a battering ram.

"Of all the clichéd attacks at your disposal . . ." The saurian nimbly dodged to the side, avoiding the Liger's charge. Before the Shield Liger could turn around, the God Kaiser pressed the assault on the target's unguarded rear, stripping armor and penetrating the structure of the zoid. "You don't have to be unorthodox about it, but just try not to be so damn predictable!"

Without reply, the pilot charged again. As before, the God Kaiser made an attempt to evade, but this time, the Liger stopped just meters away from its opponent. Dropping the energy shield, Eiji extended the Shield Liger's High Intensity Beam Cannons and opened fire on its enemy at point blank. Barely finishing its dodge, the God Kaiser had no way of reacting in time as it was sent to the ground with two smoldering holes in its side.

"Surprising enough?"

The dinosaur replied by lashing out with its tail, but the nimble Liger leapt effortlessly away from the blow.

Preparing for close-range combat, the Liger retracted his cannons and lunged for the God Kaiser, forcing its teeth around the dinosaur's neck; a well-placed bite to the control conduit would end the battle quickly enough. Acting on instinct more than anything else, the God Kaiser pilot flashed its claws the throat of his attacker, imbedding them in the armored mane that protected the structure and at the same time, severing one of the shield panels. The lion-type froze; he was able to see the immediate danger even as his teacher spelled it out for him

"Even if you bite down, high-pressure valves will extend these claws through the Leomaster's neck and decapitate you on the spot. It's your move, Eiji."

With a hiss, the lion's orange canopy opened and the pilot stepped out, his hands raised in defeat. "I surrender. End the battle!" he shouted. In the distance, a bell rang, signaling the end of the match. For Eiji Tanaka, the end to this retched battle had not come soon enough.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope, I'm beat. You win, congratulations dad." While Eiji was a good son in all regards, he had never shared the rest of his family's interest in zoids. It just seemed so pointless to be wasting time and money, fighting and repairing these expensive war machines. As a reflection of his attitude towards zoids, Eiji's wardrobe was a down to earth combination of everyday threads. Rather than waste money on a flamboyant battle 'costume', he made do wearing a pair of brown slacks and an unbuttoned blue work shirt. While the effect was unintentional, the outfit did match Eiji's deep sea hair, streaked only occasionally with blond bars that shimmered in the early light. Its styling was also simple: medium length with a well-kept braid that ran down his back and followed the curve of his spine.

"For the love of . . . God damn it Eiji!" The Leo Striker was instantly at his side, sporting heavy damages and a bad disposition.

If he wasn't her brother, Kaze would have shot him right then and there for losing them the battle. A blast of fresh air hit her face when the cockpit opened, but it did little to cool her off. While her brother might have had an underlying theme of blue, Kaze's color choice was a direct reflection of her personality: fiery. Long ruby hair ran like a flood of lava past the girl's shoulder's while Kaze's striking emerald eyes blazed with the intensity of an energy beam.

Currently, those beams were aimed straight for her brother's head. "You could have taken him! Why the hell did you just quit!"

"Be quiet, Kaze!" though just a few seconds behind the Leo Striker, the Command Wolf was the last zoid to join them.

Like the Leo, it too was in poor shape, a testament to Kaze's growing skill as the zoids fought with equal ferocity. With the danger over, Emiko unfastened her restraints and joined the quickly heated family dispute. The mother of two was in her early forties, but the ravages age and her children hardly showed on her near-flawless complexion. The kids hated it when visitors said they were as beautiful as their mother, but there was no denying the strong resemblance. An ornate but serviceable kimono, the only gift from Emiko's own mother, served as her piloting 'uniform'. Her raven-hued hair was knotted into a traditional bun—partially for style, partially to keep it out of the way when she was in the heat of battle. The recent clash with her daughter made Emiko all the more appreciative of her hair style.

"I hate surrender as much as you do Kaze, but there's always a good reason." That was a lie, of course; this was hardly uncommon of Eiji and her son always threw the same reasons back at them. Despite the constant failure, Eiji's stubbornness only strengthened Emiko's resolve to open his eyes. "Give your brother a chance to explain himself."

"Yes, do tell, Eiji." Her husband said dryly. Stepping into the daylight, Mantaro Tanaka removed his helmet and wiped sweat from the gray hairs that dotted his scalp. Up until a few moments ago, Mantaro had been pushing his very limits but, the battles weren't what tired him; it was Eiji's behavior that had the man exasperated. "As far as anyone was concerned, you were still poised for victory." The memories of their battle replayed freshly in Mantaro Tanaka's mind. Yes, he had a claw to Eiji's throat, but the God Kaiser's arm was positioned right in front of the Shield Liger's shot cannon; the Liger could have blown the limb off in less than a second. "You had a good game going, why did you really quit?"

"You were going to win sooner or later anyways. I might as well save us some money on repairs." Eiji lied, though he could tell from the look in their eyes that neither of his parents bought it. "There really isn't any point to it, you know. In this day and age, the only real zoid warriors are military dogs and bandits they chase. Everyone else just pilots zoids like over-sized toys in competitions." Looking his sister in the eye, Eiji decided to spice up the debate before it fell into the old routine. "Besides, people who rely on zoids to solve all of their problems are mentally weak human beings."

"I'll show you weak!" Kaze lunged for Eiji's throat, but Emiko barred her path. A mother's stern glare was all it took to keep the girl in check.

Mantaro rubbed his forehead; Eiji wasn't the only one who knew the routine by heart. "Eiji, zoids are more than just tools and more than just our way of life; they are part of your heritage. You are lucky to have been born into this time of relative peace, but nothing lasts forever. When you find yourself in danger and no one else is around to protect you, these skills can save your life."

The battle lines were evenly set. While his parents might have been able to double-team Eiji in their arguments, he had inherited enough determination from both of them, bringing the battle to an inevitable standstill. Kaze? She would always be watching the action from the side, snuggled up next to a tub of popcorn. "I can take care of this family and our livelihood without having to become a zoid warrior. Heck, I'll even zoids, just not for fun and battles. If you want to use them for your little sporting games, go right ahead, but that isn't something you can force on me." With that, Eiji leapt from the head of his Shield Liger DCS-J and walked towards the main hangars. "The battle had to end any way; I have to make a delivery."

Emiko smiled sadly. "He is getting more determined every day."

"I miss the times when we could just carry him into the cockpit, kicking and screaming." Mantaro joked. "Why couldn't he be one of those children who would grab a zoid and blunder head on into trouble?"

The remark earned him a slight slap across the face. "Because you spoiled him"

Kaze stirred lazily nearby. "Eiji's a lost cause; why are you two still working on him, when you already have perfection in your second born?"

"Perfect?" Emiko laughed, "This coming from a manipulative control freak. If anything, you need more of your brother's self control."

"But as it stands, Eiji needs our help more." Mantaro said sternly. "He is too sheltered from the world; if he doesn't learn at least the basics of taking zoids into battle, Zi can be a very dangerous place, even in peace time."

"So you will be the big daddy and make it your responsibility then?" Emiko cooed.

"Something tells me you aren't really giving me a choice."

She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't look out for our son? So what is your plan, Mantaro?"

"It isn't a plan so much as it is a last resort. Remember how our son loves archaeology?"

"You mean those pointless treasure hunting trips you would always bring him on?

"Hey, they were _expeditions _and we did find valuable artifacts, you know. Anyway, remember that old map my father left us?"

The mention of their wedding 'gift' sent a chill down Emiko's spine. While she loved and respected Mantaro's parents as her own family, the obsession her father in law displayed was frightening. "You really plan to use it?"

"I don't even know if it is a zoid out there, but we are running out of ideas. Even if doesn't work, maybe Eiji will be more inclined to step into the cockpit afterwards, if only for a little while."

Kaze grinned devilishly. "Hey, if Eiji does turn the zoid down, I can always take it off his hands."

* * *

As usual, the mood in the chamber was quiet and grave. The reigning council elders were so motionless that they could have been mistaken for the gargoyles of a gothic cathedral. Before them was yet another messenger, a minion destined for a life of servitude. They knew his kind well; he was a man always thirsting for power, but lacked the breeding to achieve it. Had the fool possessed even a glimmer of potential, they would have never given him this job in the first place. The greatest irony was that this man would never realize his worthlessness; not until they day he died, anyway. The thought of it was so amusing that one of the council members cracked a thin smile. The expression caused the pale man to convulse involuntarily, like a mouse under a serpent's spell. The elders were not as easily pleased as they were angered, and he shuddered to think of how many of his hapless predecessors had been permanently dismissed.

"My elders, we have word from the agents in the field."

"Of course you do, why else would you be allowed to even speak to us?" The derisive sneer seemed to come from every direction at once.

Straining his bladder, the messenger took it was permission to continue. "Mantaro Tanaka has arranged for private use of one of Cyber-Mech Industries' Whale Kings. It will set off on a voyage this afternoon, but the destination is unknown."

The lengthy pause that followed allowed tension to build to the point where the minion was sure he'd be struck down on the spot. "You have done well. Tell our agents to maintain surveillance." The man bowed again and left the room, obviously relieved and dreaming of a promotion that would never come.

Only when they were sure that they were alone, did the council speak again. "Do you think he might actually be searching for it?" Hope among the members was certainly high today.

"Tanaka has ignored the treasure in his hands for his entire life; I don't know why he would start now."

"Still, this may be the only lead we have. If he is in fact, searching for the zoid, we cannot let this opportunity slip."

"Agreed. I shall alert the hunters immediately. If he does find it, we shall simply take it by force."

"What if Mantaro manages to use it against us?"

Laughter echoed across the chamber. "He has no idea what lies hidden beneath the sea; as it stands, we have more knowledge about the prize than he does. Even if he does find it, I doubt Mantaro Tanaka possesses the know-how to awaken the King of the Monsters."

* * *

Eiji grinned as the Whale King pulled into port at one of the many nameless towns in the region. The transport's growing age made it harder to handle than usual, but they had still arrived without killing anyone, so he couldn't really complain. Powering down the ship, Eiji left the cockpit to sign the transaction papers with the customers while the crew began to unload. Rather than letting middlemen grab a hefty share of the profits, Cyber-Mech Industries preferred to make its own deliveries and take orders directly from the buyers themselves. According to Eiji's late grandfather, it ensured the proper handling of their products while forging an almost friendship with customers. With a healthy patronage and steady profits despite their lower prices, Eiji wasn't one to question his ancestors. A smile of satisfaction crossed his face as he watched the massive crates depart; another small fortune for the family coming in all according to schedule.

"See? I can still use zoids to support CMI _without_ having to battle in them." He said to no one in particular. Caught in his own gloating, he failed to notice the brisk procession from the zoid's crew as they hastily disembarked. By the time Eiji _did_ glance around, he was completely alone at the station. While the massive zoid could technically be run with minimal personnel for the flight home, Eiji hated long periods of solitude. "Where the heck is everybody!"

"I sent them home with a raise on the Whale King I arrived in." Mantaro answered slyly. The elder Tanaka tried his best to be nonchalant as he approached the empty carrier. "As much as I love this ship, the only other transports it can outrun these days are all in museums. It's old and well past it's prime; a lot like me."

"Dad,"

"How old are you, Eiji?" Mantaro tried his best to act solemn

His dad might have been old, but he wasn't _that_ forgetful. _And I'm not that stupid. _"Old enough to make my own decisions about zoids."

"Then imagine how old that makes me."

"Dad . . ."

"We both age at the same rate Eiji, but my head start in life means that it will end that much sooner. Forty years, forty seconds, there's no telling when; but before that happens, I want us to spend more of it together."

As much as he loved his father, Eiji could not ignore the voice in his head that screamed, 'trap.' _If I do end up in another zoid battle today, I am not going to give dad the satisfaction of tricking me into it._ "Dad, I love you; and if you feel that strongly about it, let's go have a zoid battle together, just you and me."

"I may be getting old, but I am not senile; you even just told me how much you hate battling them. I could never ask you to do that just for my sake." Eiji wasn't quick enough to cover the surprise on his face and Mantaro swelled with satisfaction; his son might be clever, but not clever enough. "If we are going to spend time together, let it be something we both can enjoy."

Good news or not, it only put Eiji further on edge. "If not zoid battles, then what are you getting at?"

"Do you remember how much fun you and I used to have when you were little? We would go on so many excavations together." Mantaro added so much nostalgia in his voice that it was practically contagious.

"Treasure hunting?" Eiji could hardly believe what he was hearing. It had been years since their last dig. "But today? You remember the weeks of planning and research that went into just one find."

_And now, the coup degrace._ Mantaro took a moment of silence to thank his own father. "Yes, we _usually_ would have to follow up on leads and make preparations in advance; but usually, we wouldn't have this." To Eiji, the map looked like something out of legend as Mantaro removed it from his pocket. The centuries old paper was dry and brittle; its texture, rough to the touch. With utmost delicacy, he placed the artifact in his son's hands. "This is the key to perhaps the greatest treasure of them all, Eiji. Nearly everyone in our family's history has attempted to follow it at one point or another, but none have ever been successful."

"Wait a minute, if each Tanaka has gone out to search for it, doesn't that mean you-"

"I said nearly. You are looking at the one oddball. Ever since your grandfather gave me this map, I have regretted never taking the initiative to mount my own search. That is why I want to go with you. Even if it will go down in history as your achievement, I will be happy knowing that I was present the day you discovered our family's greatest secret."

An awkward cocktail of emotional silence followed. "Alright dad, but this better not be another one of your zoid ploys."

"You can even carbon-date the authenticity of this thing if you want; but let's get out to sea first."

Eiji blinked. "The sea?"

It wasn't long before the aging carrier lifted into the air again. With a haunting moan, the Whale King drifted into the clouds for an otherwise undetermined destination. At its controls, father and son were flushed with excitement; there was no ignoring the adventure that lay ahead. Between piloting the ship and charting their course, neither Tanaka took notice of the second Whale King, cloaked and watching them from several kilometers away.

_All too easy._ The aging pirate thought to himself. Had he really abandoned retirement for something as tedious as this? Surely the council could have found someone less talented to handle operations. For a moment, the old man had considered deactivating their stealth systems, just to make the chase more interesting; but that would have been a fool's mistake. As boring as the ships prey may have seemed, a lifetime of experience had taught the hunter to whore every advantage at his disposal; he could never have achieved his rank on sabotage and ruthlessness alone. Bored, the captain tore his heavily scarred face away from the binoculars and hobbled over to the communications consol to make his report. The wild beard that had grown unkempt in his years of inactivity tickled they brushed against the speaker and his hatred for the sensation added a befitting growl to his voice as he spoke. "The CMI Whale King has just left port."

"Excellent." The reply crackled. "You may proceed at leisure, Captain, but do not engage them until after you have confirmed the presence of your primary objective."

"Understood." There was barely a ripple in the clouds to signal the ghostly carrier's passing. Slowly but surely, it tailed the unsuspecting Whale King across the vast continent and eventually, out to the open ocean.

* * *

"Strap yourself in. We'll have to dive underwater from here on in." That came as no surprise; it may have been clichéd, but the bottom of the ocean was still an effective hiding place. The Whale King tilted downwards and continued to accelerate until it slammed into the water with crushing speed, churning the sea into white foam as it sank. For a moment, the structure's heavy groaning worried Eiji; the zoid was practically held together by ductape, what if it couldn't take the pressures anymore? As if reading his thoughts, the massive ship suddenly stopped shuddering and stabilized its course to prove him wrong.

When it became clear that the Whale King would be able to handle at least this one last dive, Eiji breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the important matter of studying the map. Because most information was recorded on computers these days, the paper itself was something of a foreign curiosity to him. For a person used to working with complex charts and diagrams, something this ancient felt disturbingly foreign to him. It was obviously hand drawn and indicated towards landmarks that may or may not have survived the latest cataclysm; there was no telling how accurate the instructions were or even if the map was made to scale.

"How will we even know where to start looking?" he wondered out loud.

"If what your grandfather said was true, the location isn't that far off from one of our Research & Development facilities. You know," Mantaro said slyly, "it used to be my old team base, complete with hangars and living quarters. Maybe we could stop by on the way home."

"Nice try dad, but the only relic I'm interested in right now is buried out there in the blue. How far out to sea did you say it was?"

"Not very; we're almost there." Mantaro answered, indicating to a cluster of strange objects scattered at odd angles on the sonar. "If what they say is true, this portion of Zi used to be above sea level. Somehow, it sunk and thus, these structures became ruins beneath the waves. Only sea animals inhabit them now." Through the view screens, both Tanakas were met with the magnificent, yet unnerving sight of a city lost to the depths.

I was as disturbing as it was breathtaking. Instead of ancient stone temples and great plazas, the underwater city was a metropolis of office buildings and paved streets. Whatever it was that sank it had to have been very powerful to take out such a modernized city. Maybe a zoid, maybe a super weapon. _More likely, a zoid with a super weapon._ Mantaro thought grimly. The further their Whale King descended, the more Eiji recognized land-marked objects that helped them to identify just where they were on the map. Here was a skyscraper with a lightning bold insignia; there was the park with a Liger statue. On occasion, Mantaro had to back track the Whale King and search for new clues because the elements had further ravaged the ruins since the time their map had been made.

As the transport zoid moved forwards again, Eiji scrutinized the complexity of the map. Although the location of their treasure was clearly marked, the parchment had nonetheless, listed a complex series of directions and instructions for them to follow. Eiji knew it better than to defy the map and risk losing the treasure forever, but still, he wondered what might have been so important that whoever hid it would go to such lengths to keep it hidden. And to think, his family had the only copy! Whatever lay in the depths, they would find it soon enough. It took another five hours for the Whale King to complete the set maze course with absolute scrutiny, following the parchment's directions to the letter. With each leg of the journey completed, age-old sensors hidden through out the ruins catalogued the transport's movements, ensuring that the explorers were the true heirs to its secret. Finally, the CMI Whale King came to rest between the two cooling towers of what must have been a power plant at one time. As they approached, Eiji held his breath, only to be disappointed as nothing appeared to meet them.

Mantaro registered the disappointment on his son's face. "This place is quite old. Let's give it a few more moments to-" the resounding quaking of the seabed beneath implied that patience was longer needed. The left cooling tower split completely in two, revealing a hollow passageway leading straight down into the abyss. Slightly intimidated by the cavernous opening, Mantaro glanced at his son.

Eiji smiled dangerously. "We've gone this far. I would hate to disappoint our ancestors."

* * *

The captain risked retribution when he failed to answer his superiors, but the sight was too overwhelming. "The building and the ocean floor has split apart." he reported gravely. Having served for decades on end in their numerous ventures, the seadog had seen many a strange and near-impossible things in his time. This would forever rank as one of the most bizarre. "Who would go through the trouble of excavating a ruined city, constructing a chamber beneath it, and then piling the ruins back on as if nothing had happened?"

"It no longer matters." One of his masters said decisively. "This is all the evidence we need; the King of the Monsters is buried here."

The captain nodded gravely and the communications screen went black. "I want all stations prepared to launch a full assault on my command! Boarding crew, prepare your zoids!" There was obviously something odd about their prey and an irresistible urge overtook the captain; whatever it was down there, he wanted to be the first to see it. More than that, the old seaman wanted to _fight _it; eyes blazing, he turned to a specially chosen team of technicians. "I will be leading the attack; ready my zoid."

* * *

The tunnel led them downwards forever. After ten minutes, even the powerful deep sea lights on the Whale King failed and Eiji was forced to continue blind, guided only by the transport's proximity sensors. "All this darkness is getting me sleepy." He mumbled.

"Then close your eyes if it suits you. I can guide the Whale King down on my own."

"You're just saying that so you won't have to break your back loading whatever it is we find down there." Just the same, Eiji yawned lazily and glanced at the blackness outside the window; how inviting it seemed, capable of swallowing his troubles along with the light. His eyes were almost completely shut when a tendril of thought lashed out and struck his mind. A million images at once, flashing past faster than his mind could register; the sheer shock of it forced Eiji to leap involuntarily

"Are you alright?"

"No, I mean yes, I'm fine." Eiji shook his head to clear away the mist. "Let's keep going. I'm fine; just tired." He tried to convince himself that it was just stress taking its toll and eventually, his body became at ease. As the tremors left him, Eiji's breathing stabilized and his mind began to drift again.

As if refusing to grant him peace, the same invisible force suddenly struck again! This time, a brief tolerance allowed Eiji to comprehend some of what he was seeing; at least enough to summon a vague memory of the ordeal. There was fire . . . and blood, the air was heavy with the sent of dead flesh. A gigantic black shape moved in the darkness; glowing red spines and the fiery patches of skin burning across its body. Shaken, Eiji glanced towards his father, but this time, Mantaro took no notice of Eiji's convulsions. Either that or he pretended not to. Convinced that he was losing his mind, Eiji resolved to stay on alert for the rest of the descent; maybe getting to their final destination would dispel what had to have been cabin fever.

An eternity of alertness was finally rewarded as the Whale King exited the passage. Although it was too dark to see much of anything, the solid lines on radar that represented tunnel walls suddenly spread and vanished off screen, yielding to a large open space. After maneuvering itself completely clear of the passage, the Whale King slowly powered down until it settled on a flat surface.

"Why don't you go outside and take a look around?"

"Outside? You mean underwater!"

"Somewhere along the way down, all of the seawater was drained. I had to adjust the Whale King to handling an atmospheric environment to make it the rest of the way." As if to prove Mantaro's point, fluorescent lights, centuries old, suddenly activated within the age old hangar. The cavity was still dripping with water and reeked of tide, but it was still dry enough to be traversable on foot.

Leaving nothing to chance, Eiji grumbled something incomprehensible and donned an emergency oxygen mask before setting foot outside the Whale King. Massive! That was the one thought that came to Eiji's mind as he beheld a room large enough to house an amusement park. Eiji continued to soak in the sheer space the facility had to offer and as he did so, some of the excitement transformed itself into disappointment. The chamber was impressive without a doubt, but it was also completely empty.

"What do you see?" Mantaro's voice boomed from the Whale King and bounced off the spacious walls.

"Nothing. Just empty space and shadows." Eiji hissed back. Although the lights had kept against time for the most part, a few had failed and thus, left several small portions of the cavern shrouded in darkness.

"Look harder. Our family has been coming here for generations, so there has to be something worth finding! Why not try looking in that section over there?"

"Where?"

"On the far end, in the shadows."

"There is nothing in the shadows but more walls!" Eiji argued, "Just like these other ones." Suddenly he stopped and returned his gaze to the area his father had indicated. Although the darkness looked just like any other random patch of shade, the darker outlines of walls that should have been there were evidently missing. "Alright, I'm going over to investigate." Eiji's vision did not improve as he neared. There were still hints of what he had expected. In fact, it was not until he had come within several feet of it that he realized this particular section was distinctively different because it had been _painted_ black. Contained just within the reach of the darkness, two massive doors stretched from the floor to the ceiling, guarding a precious mystery behind an air-tight seal. "Okay, I might have found something."

"Hang on, I'm coming out to see for myself."

Curiosity got the better of Eiji; without waiting for his father, he ran his fingers gently over the ancient gate and picked up traces of bumps and groves, intentionally etched into the doors. "There is some kind of writing, but it is too dark for me to make out."

Mantaro gave no response. Instead, Eiji heard the whine of the Whale King's engine steadily rising. Realizing what his father was planning to do, he shut his eyes and turned away just as the transport's high beams lashed out in his direction, bathing the black doors in almost unbearable light.

"Thanks a lot, dad." Eiji hissed. After several moments of rubbing away the spots in his eyes, Eiji returned to examining the now bright as day text. To his surprise, instead of one of the many ancient languages across Zi, the script was perfectly understandable, as if made for any passer-by to read. Whoever had written it was no Ancient Zoidian! Still, despite the legibility, the words were anything but understandable; even when reading aloud, Eiji had no idea what the message was trying to say.

"_Here waits the King of Monsters._

_Too wild to tame, too vengeful to die,_

_he forever lives as a reminder to mankind._

_Rest in peace, oh slumbering King,_

_until the chosen avatar invokes thy name."_

Two more times over and it still made no sense to Eiji; the closest thing he had ever seen to something like this was on a tombstone and in all honesty, Eiji did not want to think about those implications. As he continued to ponder the text, wandering eyes fell upon a small square piece of electronic equipment that seemed strangely out of place on the mammoth gates.

"It looks like an access panel, some kind of palm reader for scanning DNA or something."

"Well we're the only ones here so you might as well give it a try." Mantaro urged.

"Somehow I know you were going to say that." Eiji sighed. Impressive as the facility was for lasting this long, Eiji doubted such an out of date machine programmed by and for someone generations ago, would be able to recognize his genetic structure, especially since the Tanaka bloodline had been altered with each union. Of course, that was assuming that this secret was meant for the Tanaka clan.

Proving him wrong, the panel began to glow not five seconds after his hand made contact! Concealed behind the walls, ceilings and floors, relic gears and pumps came to life once more, vibrating the entire hangar as the massive gates groaned against their hinges. Finally, after several suspenseful moments, the great doors swung completely outwards. Eiji had to leap back in order to avoid being flattened, but when he was sure the gates had stopped moving, the young explorer's eyes fell upon the secret of his family that spanned generations of failure. Preserved and shielded from the ravages of time, the towering monstrosity stared back at Eiji and his father with lifeless robotic eyes.

It reached some 21 meters in the air, completely encased in thick, black alloys that extended from saurian snout to tail. Except for the cockpit canopy, the monolith on legs was colored a charcoal black that contrasted sharply with the light of the Whale King, bathing the thing in an eerie, almost supernatural glow. Various high and low caliber weapons dotted the giant's arms and torso, but they all paled in comparison to the creation's 'natural' weapons, two enormous crushing claws, massive man-sized teeth, and a thick bludgeoning tail that was as long as the zoid was tall.

Eiji had never seen anything like it, but Mantaro certainly had; though up until now, only in historical documents. "It's a Gojulas." He whispered with a hint of sadness. The Gojulas, along with many other varieties of zoids, had been lost to the sands of time during many of Zi's geographic upheavals and calamities. Up until now, only stories and damaged picture files remained; neither of which did the beast justice compared to the real deal. The zoid's incredible power and legendary ferocity had labeled as one of the most destructive monsters on Zi; some of the true eccentrics had even lobbied to label the Gojulas as a 'legendary zoid'. It was said to have been ancient in every meaning of the word, yet a single unit could survive centuries on end. "It is an honest to goodness Gojulas." Mantaro whispered again.

"It's a zoid." Eiji hissed as the realization dawned on him. "You brought me down here for a ZOID!" As his anger flared, it summoned a third wave of psychic assaults to him like a beacon, but this final attempt on his mind was far greater than either of the previous strikes. A millennia worth of memories forced themselves into Eiji's mind all at once, overloading the boy's brain and blackening him out with such ferocity that even as it lay there, Eiji's body twitched uncontrollably. Such loneliness he had never felt before . . . so much sorrow and grief. And so much anger; ruthless, instinctive, primal hatred that brought calamity on those that had butchered his world and ruined his life. The only peace he knew from then on, was when he dreamed. For years on end, he would sleep . . . reliving happier times that could never again be as the waking moments threatened to overwhelm his emotions once more. Even now, he knew his mind was beginning to stir; there would be no escaping it. He could only cling on to these peaceful dreams for so long before it was again, time to rage.

"Eiji! Eiji, are you alright?" After what seemed like an eternity of darkness, Mantaro's voice drifted into his son's ears and slowly brought Eiji back to reality.

"This was just another scheme after all." There was a cold, stabbing anger in Eiji's voice that bellied his weakened state.

"And I am really starting to regret it; let's get you out of here before I need an exorcist."

"Humph."

"Eiji, I don't know what or why, but it's obvious that staying down here is ruining your health, so let's just get into the Whale King and head back to the surface."

_Sure dad._ Eiji thought darkly. _And you can mope about leaving this zoid down here all the way home to drive me nuts. _"Don't pretend you don't want to take this . . . Gojulas with us. The sooner we load it up, the sooner we can leave."

"Well, the Whale King can only get so close to the doorway. You would have to _pilot_ it out. The zoid is perfectly preserved, core and all; it should still work."

"Don't think I don't know what you are trying to do!" With a snort, Eiji gripped the zoid's remarkably dry armor panels and stabilizers, slowly hoisting himself towards the cockpit. The beast really was massive and despite his excellent physical condition, Eiji was forced to lie down and rest before continuing upwards to the head. After some difficulty, Eiji was able to find the outer release handle and open the canopy. The cockpit smelled and felt alien compared to the previous zoids Eiji had piloted; certainly older and built for functionality rather than comfort. He strapped himself in without complaint and began the start up procedure, but received no response. "Sorry to get your hopes up dad, it looks like the zoid isn't working after all."

"Try saying his name."

"What?"

"You read the writing on the gate; you have to invoke the zoid's name to activate it."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Do you have a better plan?"

"Fine." Several long moments before Eiji worked up the gall to do something so ridiculous. "Gojulas." he said half-heartedly, but still nothing happened. "There, see?"

"Gojulas is what the zoid is; it would be too easy for something so well guarded. I think the text means for you to try the name of the zoid itself."

Eiji could not believe what he was hearing. "You're doing this to me on purpose, aren't you!"

"Just look around in the cockpit. See if there's any-"

"There isn't." Of all the crap Eiji had been through over the years, this had to be the worst. _If some long-dead person enjoyed naming a zoid, that's their business; why the hell do they have to drag their descendents into this?_ "Dad, I changed my mind; let's just ditch this thing and get going."

"We might as well give it a try, Eiji."

"I'm not going to play guessing-games all day with a 200 ton war machine!"

"Don't you even have the faintest clue about this zoid's identity?"

"I just got here the same time you did; what makes you think I know any more than you?" But Eiji did know . . . there was no explanation as to how or why, but a tide of information bled into his head, providing him with everything there was to know about the Gojulas: the zoid's specifications, its history . . . its name. _It has to be a hallucination . . . some kind of dormant disease in this room. There's no way I could not the zoid is called _"Gojira . . ."

No sooner had the words left Eiji's mouth, the canopy slammed shut with the force of a steel trap, imprisoning him inside. Immediately, the darkness inside the cockpit was vanquished by artificial lighting as the monitors activated flawlessly for the first time in who knew how long.

"And Sleeping Beauty awakes!" Mantaro laughed. "Great work son, I knew you had it in you!" Still musing to himself, Mantaro ran for the Whale King, eager to open the mouth hatch and welcome the black Gojulas in.

Eiji remained quiet and wrestled with the new, conflicting thoughts in his mind as he guided the mammoth beast forwards. It was slow and arduous at first, but the Gojulas gradually picked up speed. The hoses that had kept the zoid core sustained for centuries detached with hisses of steam and heat, leaving the machine to run on its own accord. As it lost contact with the Gojulas, the facility initiated a long dormant response and the entire cavern began to shake!

Glancing behind him, Eiji noticed the black doors closing again, sealing the chamber air-tight once more. All around them, the zoid's audio sensors registered water rushing through the irrigation systems originally used to drain the room and now to flood it again!

"Hurry!"

"I'm trying! This isn't exactly a sports car, you know!" Already, the water was up to the zoid's ankles. Desperately, Eiji urged the Gojulas to move faster, but, it continued to stroll at its own pace. He nearly passed out from relief as Gojira made it into the Whale King's hangar in the nick of time. The mouth of the transport closed just as several billion tons of ocean water returned the oceanic grave to its natural state.

"Mission accomplished Eiji, let's go home." With a whirl of its turbines, the Whale King lifted itself back towards the way it came.

"Ah dad, we have a problem." Eiji said dryly. He was happy to learn that the Gojulas' comm.. controls still worked after all this time. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the release hatch. Despite every command Eiji gave to the computer, the canopy refused to give way. "The darn thing has me locked in!"

"Don't worry, once we get home, the people in the lab will be able to get you out of there."

"They had better." Eiji could think of no worse fate than to live the rest of his life _inside a_ _zoid_. At least the pilot life support systems were working. With nothing for him to do until they reached port, Eiji made himself as comfortable as he possibly could and closed his eyes. To surprise, he found himself more at peace inside the Gojulas' cramped skull than inside the spacious control room of the Whale King. For the first time that day, Eiji was finally able to rest.

* * *

"Captain, the target has re-entered the tunnel."

If his men were as competent as he expected, they would have just enough time to finish laying the trap. "Good, recall the Sinkers and move the Whale King into attack position. All boarding units, follow my lead!" With cold relish, the old seaman and his entourage eased their control sticks forward.

Flanked by a trio of Killer Domes, a new age, amphibious zoid of mammalian design glided out from the Whale King's shadow and swam into position. With a lazy flap of its bladed flippers, the beautiful yet intimidating figure came to rest just behind the lip of the passage. It wouldn't be long now. In the deepest pit of his heart, the captain wished silently that their plunder would put up a fight. It probably wouldn't be much of one, but at least it would make this mission at least a little worth while. _The bosses won't mind if I rough up their parcel a little so long as it's still intact._ The ambush was set and his crew had left no room for escape, though the prey would assuredly think they did until it was too late. All the hunters could do now was lie in wait until the seabed disgorged pay-dirt.

Just as the transport's tail cleared the gap, the earth shook once more as the cavernous opening sealed itself, possibly for the final time. The old man was confident with his own capabilities as well as that of his zoid; the shifting sediment would not harm them or sacrifice their location. The same could not be said for the three Killer Domes as they floundered in the shifting sand, but no gesture was made to help them. If his men could not handle it, they were not worth saving.

"Captain, the enemy Whale King has completely exited the tunnel. Awaiting your orders."

"Blow a hole in the hull. That will force these fortune seekers to surface. Then I will personally . . . negotiate with them." No sooner then the words leave his lips did the water around him tremble as the Whale King began its assault. Exposed in a helpless position, the target floundered helplessly as eruptions tore through its armor. After half a minute of shelling, the attack ceased. As the frothing stopped the captain was barely able to make out a gaping wound leading to the very bowels of the zoid. The door had been opened. "We move now!"

* * *

Despite the restraints, Eiji's head nearly slammed into the Gojulas' consol as explosions berated the Whale King and jolted him from his nap. "Dad, what's going on!" The question was a reflex; Eiji could already see the massive gap in the wall that allowed seawater to pour in by the gallons, despite the pressurized chamber. The hole was probably large enough to cram even the Gojulas through.

"Looks like we have some unexpected company." Mantaro answered.

"This is the officer of the day for MYTHOS Whale King, _Sea Skinner_. If you value your lives, relinquish your cargo; this is a direct order from our superiors. Comply, and no harm will befall you."

"MYTHOS . . ." Mantaro snarled. The organization had been labeled many things by the government as of recently, none of which was pleasant. If the authorities knew anything at all, very little official data from their base of operations to the size of their staff, had been released. What Mantaro _had_ heard from black market whisperings was that the bandit organization was very peculiar about their targets. One of the leading rumors described them as only going after rare, or even 'legendary' zoids, assuming those existed. The fact that his Whale King was under siege now convinced Mantaro of those theories more than ever. "So you're the kind of assholes who shoot first and talk later, eh? Eiji, grab on to something!"

"To what!"

"Anything! This whale is going to fly!" Damaged as they were, Mantaro knew an advantage when he saw one. While their attackers were trying to increase damage to the hull of his ship, they could only do so much before they risked destroying the very zoid they were after! He on the other hand, only needed to disable the _Skinner_'s propulsion system in order to escape. After several moments' worth of traded fire, Mantaro was rewarded for his efforts as the MYTHOS transport's right engine erupted, rocking both vessels in a massive underwater explosion. If there was ever a time to make a break for the surface, now was it. The damage was so heavy that stability at high speeds was out of the question; fortunately they would still be able to out-pace MYTHOS, assuming the transport held together. As the carrier entered the atmospheric flight, most of the water it had taken poured out the way it came and for a moment, Eiji was sure that things would end up alright.

That moment came to an abrupt halt when he saw the claws that gripped the edge of the hole. Grinning slightly, Eiji brought the zoid's 70mm machineguns and the ARZ and TRZ 20mm beam cannons to bear on the enemy, but the Gojulas responded with a series of dull clicks . . . the chambers were empty. Cursing silently, Eiji did the only other thing he could think of.

The remaining Killer Dome, had barely managed to climb inside the Whale King when he noticed a mountain of black alloy rushing towards him. The warrior had just enough time to say, "What the F-", before the tail struck with enough force to send him flying several hundred yards out of Whale King.

For a person who disliked zoids, Eiji had to admit watching his opponent slash down in the distance left him feeling very satisfied. Suddenly, a tan and gold blur erupted from the water below them and skidded across the Whale King's floor. Coming to a stop against a wall, the zoid turned to face the black Gojulas and let loose with a cry that sounded half way between a howl and a bark. A Sea Liger! Currently, the most popular and expensive sea-unit on the market, the zoid was reputed to be effectively deadly on any terrain. It wasn't a true member of the Liger family, but the all-combat sea lion type certainly rivaled them in ferocity. Even as Eiji watched, the long ion blades that served as flippers in the water suddenly detached to reveal perfectly formed claws for movement on land. Climbing the Sea Ligers legs, the blades came to a rest on the shoulders and hips of the now land-bound zoid.

Back hunched, the new arrival stalked towards the Gojulas, issuing a heavy mechanical growl. Its movements and poise were enough to convince Eiji that the person at its controls was no playful novice like his dad. As much as he tried to back away however, the black zoid's controls seemed to fight him at every turn. Gojira refused to back down.

"I don't know who you are, but this is your only chance, get out now or I will force you out." The bluff wasn't half as impressive as Eiji had hoped.

Suddenly, a visual communication joined the two zoids and Eiji was staring his adversary face to gnarled face. "Tell me boy, is that relic the thing I'm after?"

"Eiji." He glanced at a secondary monitor where his father had opened a private channel. "Don't get out of the Gojira and don't give in. That man will kill you as soon as he has what he wants."

"I kind of figured that, but thanks." Eiji closed the link and redirected his attention towards the Sea Liger. "That's none of your business; I'm asking you nicely, get the hell out."

"And I suppose you will be the one to make me?" The warrior grinned; looked like he would get his fight after all, however brief.

"I'm not kidding around, old man!"

"That makes two of us. This is your last chance to hand the zoid over before I have to beat you out of it."

"This zoid is mine and I'll be damned if I let you take it without a fight." Eiji froze. Did he really just say that? Not six hours earlier, he would have committed someone to a mental institution for suggesting it.

The time for banter had passed and a thick tension descended on the Whale King as the two zoids sized each other up. The Gojulas was easily twice the size of the Sea Liger, but what it lacked in sheer strength, the enemy had a surplus in speed and weaponry, not to mention a better pilot to boot. Now more than ever, Eiji regretted resisting those practice sessions with Kaze. How was he to know they would actually save his life?

"Come on Eiji, just trust yourself. Trust the zoid." Watching silently from the cockpit, Mantaro set the Whale King on autopilot as he tracked the combatants with onboard cameras.

The attack came in an instant, the Sea Liger bolted towards the Gojulas head on! Eiji met the charge with one of his own, attempting to grab and body-slam the lighter zoid to the ground, but it evaded with a feint just as the black zoid went barreling past, cutting a chunk of its leg on one of the Sea Liger's blades. Even as Eiji struggled to turn around, the zoid dug a claw into the floor for a quick turn and ran past him again, slicing even further through the wounded leg's structure. The Gojulas lashed out with a tail to catch the other zoid as it went by, but a quick leap sent the target sailing safely over the clumsy weapon.

"Is that the best you've got, boy?" With a flick of a switch, the captain activated his Sea Liger's range weapons. The dozen heavy armor panels that served as the zoid's 'mane' suddenly flipped forwards, revealing a symmetrical ring of twelve 90mm pulse lasers.

The weapons wasted little time in bathing the black Gojulas in heat energy and while the cannons themselves were well-resisted by the zoid's armor, the shock of being assaulted by so many weapons at once sent Eiji into a panic. His movements at the controls became jerky and erratic and the Gojulas went into a psychotic flail, vainly warding off its assailant. In two swift motions, the Sea Liger ended the otherwise pointless fight. Using the Gojulas' own transport as a springboard, the sea lion type leapt on the Whale King's wall and pushed off, throwing its full weight into tackling the Gojulas at shoulder-level. Already destabilized by his own violent thrashing, there was little Eiji could do as his zoid was toppled by a creature a fraction of his power.

"Game over, little man; now come out of there before I decide this zoid isn't worth preserving."

When Eiji refused to answer, the Sea Liger swiped its paw across the Gojulas' face. The powerful hydraulics that were used for pumping the zoid like a bird through the water increased the damage ten-fold, leaving three heavy gashes in the armored skull. The pain was on Eiji in an instant! His head throbbed as if he had been struck directly instead of his zoid. Worse still, a form of agony completely alien to him erupted from within his brain, adding to the conflagration and staining Eiji's vision with red. Suddenly the Gojulas was rocked with another blow, dashing Eiji against the side of his chair and making his suffering more intense than he could have ever imagined.

"STOP!"

"Get out then!" Without giving his victim a chance, the old warrior struck the Gojulas again.

The pain was like a vice, growing ever tighter and crushing Eiji's mind. "Please stop! I can't take it!" His own tears began to distort vision and burn his skin.

"Maybe when you stop taking it like a whelp!" The Sea Liger mercilessly ravaged the Gojulas a fourth time.

"Please." Eiji begged, his face contorted and trembling, "Please . . ."

The old pirate had had enough. "At least die like a man, you insufferable brat!" The canopy shattered until the final assault and Eiji felt as if his skull had exploded, but he remained conscious enough to suffer every moment of it. Under a final surge of pain, an alien darkness moved in on his mind, beckoning Eiji to relinquish control. It seemed so peaceful, so inviting . . . under the pressure that tore through his head, there was no way for Eiji to resist it. As he slipped away, another consciousness surfaced to take his place, one that turned the tide of the battle almost instantly.

The battle had been so one-sided that the sudden jolt caught the warrior completely unawares as he prepared to deliver a fatal blow. Impact lighting bathed the cockpit with hues of red while klaxons blared painfully in his ears. When the world stopped shaking, the old man saw his zoid's left paw caught in the trap-like maw of a zoid that up until a moment ago, had been totally helpless.

"So you've finally found the gall to fight back."

Claws flashing, the Sea Liger's other paw reared to finish the job, but with a flick of its massive head, the black zoid dragged its adversary off kilter and threw it to the ground. Then the jaws began to bite down. Most of the Gojulas' teeth had been bent and shattered by the Sea Liger's repeated blows, but it didn't stop the sheer crushing power from shattering armor and structural components alike. In its efforts to free itself from the beast's grip, the Sea Liger flailed one free arm at the Gojulas' head but the beast hardly seemed to feel the blows. The saurian tossed its head a second time and the leg suddenly snapped at an odd angle with a sickening crunch.

_How could the boy become so focused all of a sudden!_ The answer of course, was that he hadn't. Spitting the crippled leg out in distaste, the monster call Gojira knocked its foe aside and rose to his full height. The normally dormant electronic eyes were ablaze when viewed through the shattered canopy, an indication that the zoid had gone wild.

"Hey! Get your Gojulas back under control or it will kill all of us!" When the MYTHOS agent brought up the comm. screen again but face that received him was not the whimpering youth he had expected. His face contorted into a mask of fury, the thing that was Eiji bared its teeth and met the old man with a bestial snarl. Blood stained the foam that flecked his lips and transformed once cerulean eyes into red embers of hatred; it was hard to tell whether the boy was behaving more like an animal or a possessed person. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

The pilot threw back his head and answered with a warped, bestial roar that the Gojulas readily echoed . . . or was it the other way around? The cry was so incredible that the warrior was forced to release the controls in order to shield his ears. As the feral bellow reverberated through the ship, the King of the Monsters slammed its foot forwards upon the Sea Liger. Only honed reflexes and a heavy amount of luck saved the amphibious zoid from having its torso imploded by the blow. Blades charged; the captain ran at his adversary with another blade attack to which Gojira responded with a heavy saurian stomp. Quick thinking allowed the Sea Liger was once again evade the Gojulas' titanic foot, the sheer force of the blow sent tremors through the entire Whale King, unbalancing the sea lion long enough for Gojira's massive tail to send the lesser zoid sprawling across the floor.

"What the devil happened to that kid?" Whatever the cause, it was painfully clear that melee was no longer an option for the Sea Liger.

Keeping his distance, the captain redeployed his pulse laser cannons to take advantage of Gojira's empty gun barrels. Snarling at the annoyance, the black Gojulas surged forwards, slowly but surely backing the Sea Liger into a corner. Nowhere to run, and no where to hide; all hopes of support from his crew were left several kilometers back. The pirate's one way out was blocked by the raging beast he had underestimated, unless . . . taking a gamble, the Sea Liger made another feint and leapt for the wall again. His one chance was to push off of it as he had done before and get behind the Gojulas; once there, his zoid however damaged, would be free to escape into the water. But as if waiting for that exact opportunity, Gojira suddenly shifted its weight and threw itself against the wall as well, sandwiching the Sea Liger with 230 tons of malice and metal. The sea lion's blades dug deeply into the monster's shoulder and torso, but the staggering pain only made the Gojulas push harder, crushing the life out of the Sea Liger between a rock and a hard place. Over a dozen internal systems imploded at once and the onboard fire controls were taxed to the limit. Fighting violently at the controls, the old warrior found himself unable to keep track of the damages as his consol suddenly exploded in a shower of sparks. As all but one of the remaining legs gave way, Gojira backed off, allowing the crippled zoid to fall to the ground. For a moment, it seemed as if the black zoid was finally content with the brutal results. Suddenly, the Gojulas pivoted again and the gargantuan tail slammed into the scrap heap that was once a Sea Liger. The zoid's Command System had already be frozen, effectively rendering it comatose, but the old man, bleeding profusely, remained awake even as his vessel slid violently to the side and smashed itself against another wall. Before his head stopped spinning, Gojira was upon him! With another howl, the black Gojulas savagely gripped its victim in two massive crusher claws, shaking the battered wreck like rag doll before hoisting it to head level. Throughout the ordeal, the captain remained conscious and stayed that way long enough to see the white rows of man-sized teeth part. Once more, the cavernous maw opened like the gates of hell, welcoming him.

* * *

Mantaro Tanaka averted his eyes from a gratuitous scene he could only imagine; not that he wanted too. He was only too glad that there was not an open radio channel between the doomed zoid and his Whale King. When he turned back to the monitor, he found the beast called Gojira staring murderously back at him. In the pilot's seat, Eiji pressed the gaze with a blank, feral stare.

The words he had spoken to Eiji earlier that day, the speech he had used to set this chain of events into motion, suddenly came back to haunt him. What was that word for it again, irony? Possibly, it really didn't matter at this point. "I guess it really is my time." Despite the overwhelming fear of what was about to happen, Mantaro could only think about what his son might be going through at this very moment. "One day Eiji, you'll be able to control Gojira, not the other way around." A gripper claw shattered the surveillance camera and then erupted through the wall towards him.

* * *

A piercing sensation brought Eiji back from the darkness; there was apparently a syringe pumping god only knew what into his arm. For once, it was a pain he was familiar with; given all that had happened to him, he was almost welcomed it. Groaning, he struggled to get up, but strong hands wrapped in white forced him back on to the sand. The receding redness in his head momentarily flared back and with it came the sketched memories of what transpired. It felt as if he was re-watching it from a far away perspective, the brutal destruction of the Sea Liger to the moment the berserker Gojulas lunged through the wall of the Whale King, attacking the innocent human on the other side.

"No . . ." he moaned.

"Please Mr. Tanaka, you have sustained multiple injuries; you must stay down and rest!"

"Where's my dad?" The medics remained silent. "I said where is he!" Before they could restrain him again, Eiji broke free of their grip and staggered away, holding the IV pouch connected to his arm. Even something as simple as walking several feet seemed to drain what little energy he had left. It was early in the evening but the remaining sunlight was enough to blind him as he stumbled over the dune, trying to orient himself. The rolling surf nearby and the imposing cliffs helped to give him some idea of their location; he was on a beach below a cliff, the same cliff where the CMI R&D facility was. Gojira stood motionless only a few meters from where Eiji had awoke. Even with the placid appearance, there was no ignoring the wounds that wracked the zoid's frame and the tattered remains of a zoid core hanging from its mouth: testaments to the recent atrocities. Beached ahead of them was the Whale King, stretched on its side with the tail end still partially submerged. Save for the openings caused by MYTHOS, its outside showed only minimal damages from a rough landing. The wreck might still even be able to fly again after some restoration.

To Eiji's surprise, both his mother and sister were standing not too far away. Emiko's expression was one of worry and sadness, while Kaze's face seemed marred with an unbalanced mixture of anger and horror.

"Mom, Kaze! What are you doing here? Where's dad?" they seemed deaf to Eiji's approach. As he neared, he was finally able to see what they had been staring at all along. _Oh my god!_ Stumbling headlong into a crowd of medics, Eiji shoved the people in coats aside until he found his father. Except for his head, Mantaro Tanaka was completely wrapped in sterile cloth, stained deep red in multiple areas. Despite the burns and fresh lacerations across his face, the old man seemed relatively peaceful. His face even bore the light traces of a smile. "How is he?"

None of the doctors seemed to pay him any attention. Instead, it was the patient that replied.

Despite his obvious pain, Mantaro opened his eyes and awoke long enough to speak with his son. "You did it Eiji; you awakened Gojira. You're the one he has been waiting for."

"Dad, no. What I did was horrible!"

"What the Gojulas did was . . . unfortunate." He coughed. "But it is still capable of greater things, with the right warrior. Promise me you will take that responsibility. Don't let Gojira be destroyed; do not let him fall into the wrong hands."

"Dad,"

"Promise me!" raising his voice instantly sapped the last of Mantaro's energy and his eyes began to cloud over.

"I . . . I promise, father." Satisfied, the old man surrendered his strength. His eyelids fluttered as he relaxed back on to the stretcher, ready for what may come.

"Mr. Tanaka, please step aside. If we are to have any chance of saving your father, we need to hurry." Eiji's mind felt as drained as his body and he made no effort to resist as the men in white lifted Mantaro into a medical Hammerhead and flew him away.

"Come on." One of the remaining doctors said, "Let's finish patching you up. I think the rest of your family would fee better if they saw you in one piece."

After the rest of his injuries had been treated, the medical staff walked Eiji to his waiting mother and sister, but none of the Tanaka's dared look each other in the eye.

"How is my husband?" Emiko asked softly.

"Mr. Tanaka is a strong man; he will pull through, but the injuries are extensive. Even if he does recover, he will have to be in intensive care for sometime with extensive treatment afterwards. I'm afraid it will be very costly, even for you."

"And who's fault is this?" Kaze demanded. "What the hell happened?"

"It's hard to tell. The Whale King's black boxes have been fried and none of the technicians are willing to try tapping the black zoid on the beach after the first failure."

"It was Gojira." Eiji's voice was barely an audible whisper. "We found it off the coast and then MYTHOS attacked us in an ambush. I . . . I tried to pilot the Gojulas and stop them, but Gojira took over! He, he killed the Sea Liger and then he went after dad! I went after dad . . ."

"The boy is in shock! Get some compress over here quick!" The medic laid Eiji back on the ground and ran for the supply van.

"Just shut up and stay away!" Eiji shouted at the man's retreating back. He tried standing and fling sand at the doctor, but his legs failed him. "I did it, I did all of it."

Emiko shook her head and caressed Eiji's scalp as she had when he was only an infant. "You only wanted to protect your father and yourself. There was not anticipating what happened."

Although Kaze did not particularly agree with her mother, she understood that there was no justice in punishing Eiji for this; he was tormented enough with guilt. There was, however, another target deserving of her wrath.

"I know one thing for sure, if anything, it's that zoid's fault!" she declared, stabbing an accusing finger at the Gojulas. "It has trouble written all over it! I say we torch it! Melt that monster down so that he never threatens dad or anyone else again!"

"NO!" Eiji choked.

Emiko was inclined to agree with her daughter. "Eiji,"

"Gojira has to be completely repaired." His family didn't know what was more surprising, Eiji's sudden conviction, or the fact that he was actually defending a zoid; and a murderous one at that.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Kaze fumed. "Don't you WANT to avenge dad? What makes you think MYTHOS won't try to come after it again and take us all out!"

"Dad made me swear to hang on to it. So help me, I'll see it through." His feelings towards the monster were hardly any different, but he could not let the zoid be killed, not yet. "I'll figure out how to control the zoid . . . and I will use it to protect all of us. If MYTHOS wants it that bad, they will have to bleed through the eyes for it!" Although Eiji didn't want to admit it, there was also a part of him that wanted the Gojulas preserved for selfish reasons, for purposes that would most likely lead to more suffering. Struggling against these urges, he was only able banish them to the back of his mind with thoughts of his father. "Besides, the two of us are equally responsible for dad's condition. We both have to pay for it somehow." Turning, he stared at the battered Gojulas. "It isn't right to sacrifice CMI in order to keep dad alive, he would hate us for that. But there's another way to raise the money; one that Gojira and I can exploit together." Emiko and Kaze were speechless; they knew full well what Eiji meant, but neither could believe that he of all people would suggest it; neither could Eiji. "After he is out of the shop, I will take Gojira into as many zoid battles as humanely possible; those winnings will go towards saving dad. Do you hear that, Gojira!" Eiji shouted. "I don't care who or what you are! King of the Monsters or not, you and I are in this together!"

End Chapter 1

Episode Preview:

There are many kinds of people in the world and each of them carry their own dreams. However, not all of these dreams come easy and to achieve them one must endure both sacrifice and the consequences of their own ambition. Next time on Zoids: Kaiju Thunder, On Blood-Red Wings, Part 1


	2. On BloodRed Wings, Part 1

Author's Notes: If some of the kaiju names sound somewhat different to you, it is because I have chosen to use their original Japanese spelling and pronunciations as opposed to the westernized spellings of their names

Author's Notes: If some of the kaiju names sound somewhat different to you, it is because I have chosen to use their original Japanese spelling and pronunciations as opposed to the westernized spellings of their names. On Blood-Red Wings was actually only going to be one chapter, but after realizing that the final peace is twice as much as I expected, I decided to halve it in two and save the second half for later. All in all, the plot of these next two chapters remains fairly unchanged since their first imagining and only some cosmetic improvements have been applied.

Zoids: Kaiju Thunder

On Blood-Red Wings, Part 1

There was fog everywhere. In some places it was so thick that a human could drown if he did not keep his breath in check. The Stealth Viper couldn't have picked a better day for leaving unnoticed.

For Tyler Sanchez, the past several hours had been as nerve-racking as they were grueling, but it was all about to pay off.

_Just a few more hours_. He thought; a little while longer until he would reach the rendezvous and put this nightmare of a life behind him. The very thought of a new beginning send a tremor of relish down his spine . . . all the more reason to be cautious.

Sanchez was no fool; he fully realized that as the final leg of his journey, the following hours would be exceedingly treacherous. The last thing he needed was to slip up and god only knew how many others made it so close, yet so far. Silently, he wished he was running from the local government instead of that forsaken group of psychopaths that called themselves MYTHOS. The organization was rumored to be part secret society and part mafia, but thus far Tyler had only seen, and felt the latter. Gut instinct alone told the runaway that he wasn't worth enough to be brought back alive. The Stealth Viper crept low to the ground and went as stiff as a board at the first sign of anything unusual. More often than not, it was only Tyler's imagination, but now was not the time to take stupid chances. The mountainous terrain in these parts consisted of mostly rock; if ambushed his zoid would never be able to burrow to safety.

The snake type froze when a hideous squawk shattered the silence. After several moments of fighting off a near-heart attack, Sanchez was both relieved and mildly embarrassed to realize that the sound was only one of the local species of bird. Tension gone, the Stealth Viper had just started slithering again when another flying creature declared its presence. Unlike the bird, this new cry was a heavy mechanical cackle accompanied by the distinctive roar of jet engines. As Tyler listened, the noise steadily grew under the zoid's approach. The booming cry was like thunder as it echoed off the mountain sides, coming from every direction at once and making the zoid seem far lager than it was; the sound was nothing short of deafening as the strange machine passed over head. Finally, after his hearing returned, the pilot was able to breathe again; the engines were rapidly fading in the distance.

_Finally, NOW the worse part is behind me._ But the Stealth Viper didn't get more than ten yards when something broke through the fog barrier and strafed him not fifty feet overhead! After a quick barrel roll, the flying creature leapt back into the sky as the winds it generated ripped the cloud cover to shreds. It was all Sanchez could do to keep his zoid on the ground. Panicked, Tyler began desperately searching the area for his attacker, firing wildling in every direction. Only once in the pandemonium did he catch a glimpse of the opponent, a red blur that seemed to slip by every shot sent in its direction.

If anything, the misses only convinced Tyler's attacker that the Stealth Viper presented a minimal threat. Taking his time to execute a series of rather playful loops, the flying zoid finally came to rest on a ledge before his target.

_He's toying with me! _Tyler realized with a mixture of outrage and fear.

Sanchez had never seen a zoid quite like it: red like dried blood, it was obviously based on a flying reptile of some kind. Everything about this creature screamed sleek and ultramodern, possibly even futuristic. Secretly the runaway wondered if this could have been one of the advanced older zoids that had survived Zi's various cataclysms. Given MYTHOS' reputation, it would certainly seem appropriate.

The warrior addressed his target with a collected, almost casual tone. "Hiding in the fog was a pretty good trick for your getaway, but you should have known that trying to escape altogether was pretty dumb."

Tyler's blood boiled in his veins at the thought of being lectured before his near-imminent demise. "Better to make a break for it and die than to keep slaving for you miserable bastards!"

"There may be others that feel differently." The unknown pilot answered, as if this were something to be discussed over lunch.

"Then they can suck on this with the rest of you!" The Stealth Viper immediately opened fire again, scoring its first successful hits against the strange foe. _He's trying to get into my head, to make me screw up!_

Another piercing roar echoed through the mountains as the enemy zoid spread its wings, revealing a pair of elongated swords that brimmed with golden laser energy. A third blade suddenly appeared on top the beast's head. Moving too fast for Tyler to register, the melee-oriented enemy raced over the Stealth Viper and cleaved the snake in two! The attack had been so precise that the zoid even failed to explode as it normally would have, leaving no visual or audio signals that would have attracted unwanted company; the snake simply split in half along its length like a chopped log. Satisfied with his work, the warrior circled once and then landed to make a final investigation.

"Looks like this one was just another dead end, though I don't know why you're acting so surprised about it." The comment only caused the zoid to shudder with fury, momentarily destabilizing their takeoff. "No worries, your true enemy is still out there; we'll find him even if it means tearing through every zoid on Zi." Leaving Tyler to his miserable new life, the pilot gently eased his controls and the Storm Sworder vanished over the horizon.

_The anger . . . it was so strong, so irresistible; it had to channel it in any way possible. First by destroying the creature that had made him so angry in the first place, crushing it, tearing it, breaking the body piece by piece until only the core was left. That was destroyed too . . . but it wasn't enough. Why was his rage so great? So much that he even vented it on the aging two-legged creature with soft skin? Only after the deed was done -- when there was nothing left to destroy, did the anger finally subside; a madness that wasn't even his to begin with. Slowly, his mind—his true self resurfaced; then, the tears came._

"_Dad, no. What I did was horrible!"_

"_Promise me!"_

"_I did it, I did all of it."_

"_I say we torch it! Melt that monster down so that he never threatens dad or anyone else again!" _

"_Dad made me swear to hang on to it. So help me, I'll see it through. I will take Gojira into as many zoid battles as humanely possible; those winnings will go towards saving dad. Do you hear that, Gojira! King of the Monsters or not, you and I are in this together!"_

Eiji was brought out of his thoughts by the impact of overwhelming firepower decimating the Gojulas' front. _Damn it!_ This time his mind had wandered so far that he missed the starting bell! Just what Eiji needed: another horrible start. Trying to make up for lost time, he struggled violently with the controls, but only succeeded in causing Gojira to flail under the heavy suppression fire! After six months of this tiresome routine, he should have known better.

To Eiji's disappointment, in that amount of time, the only things he learned were the extreme hardships of this new career. Apparently, zoid battles were not as easy a business to break into as he had originally hoped. Losses outweighed victories at least three to one and between the costs of repairing Gojira after each battle and the sparse winnings, Eiji had barely broken even in his personal funds. On the occasions when he DID win a battle, it was always because of the Gojulas' abilities, not his own; Eiji didn't need sore losers telling it to his face, the fact was obvious enough. Time and time again, he would blunder into mistakes so novice that not even Gojira's incredible ferocity could save him from defeat . . . though a few opponents were still mentally scarred in the process. At least MYTHOS hadn't tried picking another fight with him. Yet.

Without a doubt, the saddest thing of all was that because of these constant losses, Eiji's family had yet to see a cent of the nonexistent prize money he had promised to earn. Too ashamed to face them, the Tanakas' only son severed all ties barely a month after starting. Thus far, the closest thing he had done to help his loved ones financially was to move out of the house and into, ironically enough, the old team base where he had originally made the vow. At least that way, his parents had one less mouth to feed. Having only his battle partner to keep him company, Eiji quickly realized that being a zoid warrior was not only hard, it was lonely. That was why this miserable streak would have to end, now!

The time for wallowing in self-pity could come later; he had a battle to win. It was half-assed and crazy to take on three opponents at once, but the prize money would put Eiji over the top! Besides, the Gojulas had a new toy that would easily even those odds. With a heart-stopping roar, Gojira stomped both its feet into the ground and stood fully erect, taking the brunt of the enemy's attack even as his armor began to shatter.

"You might as well give up to save money on repair costs, kid." The enemy team's leader said. He or she was piloting a Brastle Tiger—a massive gun-toting smilodon-type that had been named and mass-produced in the image of a powerful Legendary Tiger zoid.

_Not as legendary as Gojira, though._ Eiji thought smugly.

The two other zoids that flanked the Brastle were Saber Tigers; older, weaker, but ultimately still fearsome cousins to their leader.

"Thick armor or not, there is no way your novice skills can match up to our firepower."

"Maybe not, but this might!" Eiji countered. Whether the enemy had missed it or simply didn't consider them a threat, they had ignored Gojira's twin Super Cannons-- an impressive pair of shoulder-mounted guns that were almost as long as the Gojulas was tall! Like the zoid itself, the cannons embodied the philosophy of "size DOES matter", due in part to the fact that they were originally created to be used on the Gojulas so long ago. Just because a zoid design went extinct didn't guarantee the weapons went with it and Eiji could not have been more grateful. By no means did he get them cheap, but sometimes it paid to be the wayward heir of a zoids' parts company. Technically, he wasn't stealing from CMI so long as he paid them back later; after he won this battle and after his father was healthy again. _Well, no time like the present._ Having only arrived in the mail yesterday, Eiji could think of no battle more fitting for their debut.

With Gojira's legs and tail braced to endure the recoil, Eiji deployed both weapons at once! Snapping into action, the canons practically leapt from their upwards-pointing position flushed to the Gojulas' back, to erect and facing straight forwards towards a stationary enemy! By the time the Brastle saw it coming, it was already too late to move out of the way, its own teammates were accidentally boxing their boss in and robbing it of any maneuvering room!. Eiji made a mental note to thank them after the battle. It was hard to gauge which was more deafening, the resounding _BOOM!_s, of each cannon, or Gojira's awesome roar. The force of those bullets alone was enough to throw the Brastle Tiger backwards as its internals were ripped apart and engulfed in flames!

One down, two to go. Now all Eiji had to worry about was the flurry of lesser cannon shots from the Sabers, both of whom had managed to avoid the explosion which claimed their ally. Without the Brastle, they were hopelessly out-gunned by the lone Gojulas; probably why they decided to go melee on him. Snarling, Gojira attempted to destroy both of them before close-range was reached, but the zoids' agility and speed allowed them to dodge the remaining Super Cannon blasts with relative ease as they came in from two sides at once! Frustrated, Eiji resorted to blitzing the feline zoids with the Gojulas' assortment of smaller automatic weapons! The tradeoff of quality vs. quantity while successful enough to cause fairly impressive damage, was not enough to down either Tiger before they made it into close range. As one, they leapt; the closer smilodon type burying its namesake saber fangs into the Gojulas' right shoulder! As tooth and claw clung for dear life, the zoid's three-barreled shot cannon continued to fire at close range, removing even the impressive black hide of Gojira.

Almost effortlessly, the Eiji responded by grabbing the Tiger's legs and crushing them like beer cans; just because he would have preferred a shootout did not by any means imply that melee was a weak point for his zoid! As the crippled Saber Tiger uttered a cry of pain, its fangs released their hold on the shoulder, the final mistake. Grasping the Tiger firmly with both claws, the King of the Monsters lifted it upwards to biting level. With a single movement, Gojira tore away an impressive chunk of the Saber Tiger's torso, ripping the enemy nearly in half! The Command System Freeze was almost instantaneous.

Dropping his second victim, Eiji was now free to deal with the remaining Saber Tiger, but the zoid had managed to maneuver to a position on the Gojulas' back where neither claw nor cannon could reach. Worse still, according the damages, the distraction from its fallen ally had allowed the zoid to expose and weaken Gojira's internal structure! Hastily, Eiji ejected both Super Cannons that were mounted almost directly above the Saber Tiger. The nimble saber-toothed cat zoid safely avoided the falling guns, but in doing so, abandoned its spot of safety, allowing the black Gojulas to attack with almost frightening abandon! Although Eiji did his best to aim, his skills were still not enough to overcome the dodging abilities of his opponent. Even without its partner to distract them, the Saber Tiger easily exploited the Gojulas' slow turning radius by keeping to its left flank. Any attempt to turn and bring the zoid within Gojira's line of fire only made it move even further to Eiji's left.

Finally, in a desperate play for victory, Eiji turned the Gojulas to face the Tiger one last time. As before, the pilot dodged the hail of energy beams and bullets, but Gojira suddenly swung back in the other direction, the warrior barely understood what was happening when it was struck violently in the side by its enemy's gargantuan tail! Whatever parts of the structure that did not implode under the initial blow were utterly shattered seconds later when the zoid crashed to a halt a dozen meters away! CSF.

The battle could have ended there, on a high note; but life was seldom built on drama and flare. Gojira's victorious roars degraded into a bellow of rage as the living monolith was suddenly struck from behind. The Brastle Tiger! Eiji cursed himself for not dealing with it more thoroughly, not that the feline zoid wasn't near CSF anyway. With one leg missing and most of its armor blown or melted off, the mechanical creature now more resembled a charred skeleton rather than the regal beast it had been just moments before. There was little chance it could survive facing the Gojulas head on, which no doubt explained why the Brastle's pilot had decided to use its team mates as a diversion and jump Eiji from behind. The thought only infuriated Eiji further.

It was unadulterated human rage, for things such as strategy and cheap shots were unknown to Gojira, but it wasn't long before Eiji's emotions and the monster's confusion melded. Roaring fiercely, the black Gojulas thrashed and flailed with renewed vigor to dislodge and ultimately crush their attacker! Another few moments and their efforts would have been rewarded, but in the precious seconds it had, the Brastle Tiger bit deep into the Gojulas' neck with a pair of lance-like fangs! The blow was little more than a flesh wound, but in this case, the pilot had struck with deliberate precision to cut through the control conduit that ran along the length of the entire zoid. It was a strike that few pilots could make, but with the equivalent of Gojira's spinal cord severed, Eiji found that the zoid no longer responded to his controls! The black Gojulas hit the ground with a cry of vengeance, breaking the imbedded fangs off as he went, but it made little difference; almost all of its functions had been completely disabled and there was little reason to continue the fight.

Eiji allowed his anger to ebb as the lights in the cockpit faded, but that did not stop him from cursing as victory was declared in his opponents' favor.

The old woman's stare only hardened as the black Gojulas' fading cry blared from the screen, an insult to all she stood for. She and her companions had not sacrificed their very livelihoods and those of a million others, just to be scorned by their most recent failure. Like clay, the folds on her faces shifted and contorted until finally solidifying to rock once the appropriate expression of disgust had been found. Years of practice in the art of restraint was all that held her from flinging a glass at the small, poor man's television screen.

While they could have afforded better, the council members agreed that the sacrifice of luxury was worth it so long as MYTHOS' funding into zoid research and recovery brought them the results they wanted. Unfortunately, the disastrous attempt to capture Gojira the first time had brought every result except the right one. Thus as the attendant sensed his masters' fury, he hurriedly wheeled the moderately sized television back outside; even a minion knew when to get out of dodge.

"That was the twenty-eighth battle the boy has fought thus far." One of the living skeletons snarled. "And his twenty-third defeat to date!"

"It's sickening to see the King of the Monsters fall so short of its legendary reputation." The annonymous comment voiced what had been drifting through everyone's minds and the conspirators grew only more agitated.

"Try to remember that it isn't the fault of the zoid. In capable hands, Gojira would be a zoid to be feared but its pilot is a novice, a waste of space on Zi."

"Oh then I feel _so _much better knowing a _child _is fucking around with it."

Voices continued to raise and arguments grew until the meeting chamber was almost consumed in chaos. "It is obvious that we cannot allow them to continue." the first woman barked; her outburst was no louder than the others, but it grabbed enough of her colleagues' attentions to restore some order.

"Agreed. We must strike again as soon as possible! No foul-ups, the boy MUST be killed and the zoid taken quickly; only by severing the link between kaiju and avatar can we hope to control the beast."

One particular council member, a thin, balding man, had been waiting for just such an occasion to speak. "As the recent battle as demonstrated, the Gojulas is not invulnerable to quick surgical strikes; I suggest a zoid that is not only fearsome, but fast and remarkably accurate."

"You speak as if you already have a candidate in mind." A lesser sneered, already knowing and loathing what was to come.

"He would. Not a day goes by without him attempting to rub it in our faces."

The thin man feigned humility with only minimal effort. "It was only by coincidence that I stumbled across the zoid and recruited its pilot. Any one of you could have been there in my place." As calculated, the truth stung his peers more than it soothed them. "But my nomination does make poetic sense, what better an opponent to combat Gojira than another kaiju?"

"It would make for some interesting wagers." Someone observed. A murmur of agreement rippled through the room.

They were finally silenced by the head of the council, his identity eschewed from even his peers. "So it is decided then, we shall match the strength of Gojira with our own monster's speed and skill." The man's lips curled back to reveal rows of sharpened coned teeth, granting edge to his sinister grin. "Radon."

Eiji tingled with delight as a blast of warm air struck his frozen skin. That supermarket was without a doubt, the coldest and most inhospitable place on Zi; no wonder his food kept long! It was also an explanation for their cheap prices, which in turn, explained why Eiji endured the torment of shopping there. Still frosty, he paused for another second to bask in the sun before strolling across the parking lot, an overflowing paper grocery bag in each arm.

Eiji was just about to undo the lock on his bike when the sound of nearby shouting and threats caught his attention. The source of the commotion wasn't hard to locate; it may have been a public place but the gang members around here apparently wanted people to hear them conduct business, no doubt hoping to further spread their notoriety.

Perhaps it was simple curiosity, or maybe more of Gojira's aggression rubbing off on him; whatever the case, it was anyone's guess why Eiji ventured in closer to investigate. The leader stood out a little by wearing red bandanna that poorly concealed a head shaving gone awry. His yellow muscle shirt was self-torn in a dozen places to enhance his intimidating appearance and the man's violet cargo pants were too long for his legs. Gunk and boot prints on the cuffs confirmed that he trampled his trousers on a regular basis. Both of the goons assisting him wore more or less the same clothes with the colors reversed (purple shirt, yellow pants). The only variations between them were in the number of tears, piercings, and the odd tattoo. In their efforts to appear 'unique' most gang members inevitably end up following a set pattern whether they realize it or not.

By contrast, Eiji had the easiest time identifying their target. He stood out from the gang wearing a brown jacket, red pants, and orange hair. Failing that, the man was also pinned against a brick wall.

"All I am saying is that your zoid lacks maintenance and in its current condition, your zoid won't last another race." The man said in his defense, oddly without a trace of fear. "I was _trying _to fix it for you." He seemed unusually calm considering that he was about to get beaten within an inch of his life, if even that much.

"Listen ass-wipe, I've been patching that Sinker up for years and it can still handle with the best of them!"

"Only if the best of them include garbage cans and even then, it's iffy. Its conduits would be better off if they were held together with ductape."

"Are you insulting my skills as a mechanic!" the man's muscles rippled as he gripped the stranger by the collar and held him ever closer to the wall.

"You would need skills before I can insult them."

"Why you little-" While Eiji couldn't remember doing anything to catch their attention, he surely must have done something because all of a sudden, four pairs of eyes were focused intently on him. "Who the hell are you!"

"Me? Well ah, no one really . . ."

"Get him!"

Moving on their leader's command, the twin goons lurched towards Eiji who nervously backed away. "Oh sure, you make enough noise for all of Zi to hear but you can't stand a captive audience?" In an act of desperation and panic, Eiji hurled his grocery bags at the attackers! The large men easily caught the makeshift projectiles but in the act of doing so left their bodies open to attack and Eiji readily exploited it the only way he knew how, with a swift kick to the crotch.

"You idiots!" the larger man spat. Seeing his homies doubled over in pain, the largest of the three pulled a switchblade from his boot and lunged for Eiji, forgetting his captive altogether. The instant he was free, the stranger produced a fair-sized wrench from the leg of his pants and beat the gangster over the head, rendering him unconscious. Eiji watched as the man then calmly walked past him and knocked the two other thugs out as well.

"Do you always carry that thing around with you?"

"Where would any good mechanic be without it?" the stranger grinned.

"Same place I was, I guess." Eiji laughed and his new friend joined him but moments later, the sirens of approaching police could be heard closing in and innocent or not, they both could do without questioning from the authorities. As the duo ran for a place to hide, the stranger even helped Eiji with what remained of his groceries.

Eiji downed the pint of thick white liquid in seconds, bringing the glass back on the table with a dull thud. "I'm telling you Sam, milk doesn't get any better than this unless you suck it straight from the teet!"

Eiji's new drinking buddy decided not to pursue the subject after watching Eiji as he examined the milk mustache wiped from his face, before licking it off of his sleeve. The bar wasn't the cleanest of hideouts, but they were far enough from the investigation to avoid the authorities. The cover provided by the drunk customers would give them time to enjoy a few drinks and properly introduce each other.

"So what was a sensible person like you doing provoking punks like them?" Eiji finally asked.

"His Sinker really was in bad shape; I felt sorry for the zoid." Sam Rohia replied. While his appearance may have hinted at a greater age gap, Sam was in fact only two years older than Eiji. Matching the rusty-colored clothing and the cocky disposition that radiated from his face was Sam's bright orange hair, gelled smooth and flat, save for his bangs, which pointed straight up. In all honesty, they reminded Eiji of the flames he saw in a campfire, or possibly a tiara his sister used to play dress-up with. "Besides, those jerks had it coming." Sam added slyly.

"And here I thought I was going to be the one saving you."

Sam took a quick sip from his own mug; it contained a brew yet unknown to Eiji. "You can't be a hero all the time."

"Agreed, but there's nothing wrong with just helping people out."

"You mean until you get tired of it but they still depend on you to do everything for them."

Silently, Eiji recapped what had happened not long ago with his father . . . and Gojira. "Sometimes you have no choice . . . especially if it's your own fault."

"You sound like someone speaking from personal experience." Sam cocked an eyebrow and said.

"Does that mean you never had to?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Everyone has to clean up their own mess sooner or later. Hell, my life is nothing but debt!"

"Oh really? Do tell."

Now it was Sam's turn to hesitate. Drinking deeply, he tried to recall if he actually had any control of his own life anymore, or whether he had sold all of it for several brief moments of ecstasy.

"Zi to Sam, are you going to talk?" Eiji joked.

"Why don't you go first Eiji? If you want me to spill my beans, take the first step." Sam consumed more of the amber liquid to keep the mood light.

Eiji laughed. "Oh no, I'll go _after_ you finish. You brought us into this subject after all."

Sam drank as slowly as he could from his mug, trying to stall as long as possible. He half hoped that the alcohol would affect his brain and render him unconscious before he had to say anything. His cup had been completely empty for half a minute before Sam realized it. "Proof positive that I talk too much." He snorted. "Alright, but there are parts to this story that I'm definitely telling around you, so deal with it."

"Already dealt with."

"Okay fine then." Sam Rohia took his time to walk over to the barkeep and order another mug, if only to buy himself a few more minutes. With his cup full of drink and his stomach heavy with led, Sam returned to their table and their conversation. "Look up and tell me what you see."

Eiji glanced upwards, expecting to see something out of the ordinary but he was greeted by nothing more than wooden beams and rafters. "Only the ceiling, nothing unusual about it."

"But what's beyond it, Eiji?"

"I don't know, the clouds? The sky?"

"Exactly!" Sam hit the table with a satisfying thump. "And for the longest time, that was all I saw too; looked but couldn't touch. I knew nothing else about the air above our heads, but I wanted to find out so badly . . ."

The clouds drifted overhead, slowly but surely, moving towards destinations Sam could only dream of while always changing and finding new form.

"Sammy!" his father called. "Break's over!" Unlike his son, Aaron Rohia was a lanky man with fine black hair, cropped short on both his head and his goatee. It was from his wife that their child received his looks and youthful energy.

As the youngest child, Sam was born into a profession of frantic work and dedication so it was no surprise that he saw zoid repair as a way of life very early on. More than the rest of his family, he also adopted fixing zoids as a beloved past time and some of his happiest moments could be traced back to a zoid hangar. Sure enough, not five seconds after his father called, six year old Sammy Rohia came sprinting into view.

"Did you have a fun time watching the clouds?" As strong as his love for healing zoids was, anyone, especially Sam's parents could see that their son had another great passion, in the sky. Even then however, Aaron could not have guessed at just how far this fascination would lead him.

Sam nodded. "You bet, but I'm ready to get back to work too!"

"Heh, that's the spirit." Aaron smiled and ruffled his little one's hair. "The Shadow Fox at the far end has the least damage, so get her fixed and out of here first." Their land was small and their hangar even smaller, but the Rohia family had several generations of mechanical talent in each finger and a renowned reputation to boot. There was hardly a time when they did not have work to do and the list of customers was endless.

"And what do I do after I finish her up, papa?" Sam called even as he ran off.

"And then we will see who else needs your attention! Who knows, if we get everything done ahead of schedule, you might even have time for more cloud gazing!" Sam's speed doubled as he streaked into the hangar bay.

Not even he knew why it called to him, but young Sam had taken every lunch break and free moment outside to the cliffs not far from home. There he would sit and stare upwards, always dreaming of what fantastic adventures awaited him in the blue realm above.

"Papa, why is the sky so far away?" he had one day asked.

At first, Aaron had no idea what Sam was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"I like the sky a lot, but I've never seen anybody reach it."

"Sam, if the sky were near the ground, it wouldn't be the sky anymore!" his father chuckled. "That is why you love it so much, I think; because it is something so far away, something so unreachable."

"So . . . no matter how hard we try, we can never go up to the sky?" Tears began swelling in the child's eyes.

His father hesitated. A small warning went off in the back of his head: if he answered this new question, somehow and someway, his son would be torn from him. But gazing into Sam's eyes, he realized that it would be a greater sin to withhold the truth. "No, anyone can touch the sky if they have the right help."

The tears receded, but Sam still sniffed to summon a trail of mucus back from his chin. "What do you mean?"

"Long ago, people like you also wanted to be in the air, so they found a way to do so."

"How?"

Aaron smiled as the story reached his area of expertise. "Machines Sammy, machines. They built flying machines bigger than any bird and learned to fly in them. Those machines even took them away from their homes and families. They carried people so far into the air that when they came down again, they found Zi; that is why we are here now."

"So . . . our family came from the sky?" hesitantly, his Papa nodded. "No wonder I love it so much! Is there any way to go back up now?"  
Sam's father sighed. _Just when things were starting to get easy._ "Well, yes . . . and no. You see, right now there are flying zoids out in the world that can carry you as high as you want; they work side by side with their pilots to fly higher every day."

"I want one of those!"

Sam saw his father laugh again before the older Rohia's expression grew steadily serious. "I know you do, but that is the problem, Sam. Other than our Gustav, we cannot afford any other zoids, especially not a high-maintenance flying one."

"I think I saw flying zoids come to our shop. Can't we ask them to take us up?"

"But they don't belong to us and their owners might not like it." His Papa sighed. "Maybe though, just maybe, you can get a flying zoid of your own someday."

Sam's eyes lit again. "Really? How?"

"Just work hard and do your job. Who knows? Maybe a flying zoid will find you!" To Aaron's relief, that seemed to be the end of young Sam's questions. Life continued as usual and each day saw Sam religiously dreaming outside. Cloudy and stormy days were no exception to him; the fact that they were rare and in between left Sam seeing them more as a treat than anything else. His parents may have been worried at first but after several storms, the worst their son had suffered was a case of the sniffles. What was far from alright however was the desire that continued to swell within him like a cancerous tumor. Simply dreaming about the sky was beginning to lose its satisfaction and like developing tolerance to a drug, their son now desired something more: he had to somehow touch the sky; Sam longed to be held in the clouds' silken embrace.

Weeks passed without any further questions; those weeks soon became months, and then years. It was not until Sam had become fifteen years old that his obsession manifested itself in a new vice with harsh consequences . . .

At first glance, none of the others could tell exactly _what_ their customer was bringing them; the zoid looked like little more than a pile of smoldering metal. Despite its horrid condition, Sam recognized it at first glance. How could he not? After studying and working on aerial zoids so long, he would have shot himself had he not known that zoid!

It was a Salamander, possibly the largest conventional aerial to have been constructed. Very few of them remained, making even this wreck exceptionally rare; Sam felt his legs weakening as he lost all self control in its presence. Without hesitation, he volunteered to take full responsibility for repairing it and given the extensive amount of work required and the time it would take, the rest of his family was more than happy to give him the burden of a zoid they thought was ready for the scrap pile.

For days on end, Sam could be seen climbing over the wreckage, connecting cables and welding away blemishes; some of his siblings took bets if he even slept at all. Finally, on the third week of his labor, the last conduit was in place and he collapsed into the cockpit with a gasp.

"There, you are finally ready to fly again." He sighed. "Ready to fly . . ." Then the thought struck him. "But how can we be sure you are ready? I mean, _really _sure? I think I made all the right repairs, but what if I missed something?" He asked slyly. "We should test you out." The Salamander was not the first aerial zoid to grace his family's hangar and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but this was the first time that Sam found himself unable to pass up such an opportunity.

"I'm such an asshole." He laughed as he made up his mind. "Not even three full years as a teenager and already I'm a slave to my hormones." The early hours of the morning were already upon them and everyone else had gone to sleep. In the hangar, there was only Sam and the zoids. "Just a quick test flight, barely a hop in the air; no one will notice." He whispered.

In several great steps, the zoid was out of the building and on to the road. No problems thus far, good; but now came the real test. The well greased magnessor wings spread open and charged with gold energy as the Salamander leapt into the air without so much as a sound. Free in the sky once more, the great beast cried out with joy, forcing Sam to cringe for fear that it might wake someone. When it became apparent that no one was disturbed however, he let loose at the top of his lungs, joining the Salamander in his newfound liberation!

The bomber was neither as fast nor as maneuverable as the legendary Raynos, but it was the greatest thrill of his life! He guided the zoid ever higher, pushing his own limits as well as the Salamanders in a series of aerial maneuverrs that up to now, he had only seen in books and on TV.

"This is fantastic! I'm actually flying!" he cried to no one but the zoid. The stars and moons had never seemed to close before, and Sam could practically feel the clouds brush across his skin as he flew through them! It was him and the Salamander, swimming in an ocean of possibilities, completely shrouded from the outside world. The air in the upper atmosphere was brisk and refreshing compared to the stuffy little hangar on the ground. Everything on the ground below looked so small and insignificant.

"It _is_ small and insignificant." Sam realized sadly. "On the ground, humans and zoids are prisoners of their own inabilities." It was at that moment that Sam Rohia swore he would never live on the ground forever. "One day, I'm going to return to the sky."

The light of dawn glimmered at the very edge of the horizon, stabbing through his cockpit all too soon. "Your real pilot will be coming back today, but thank you for all you have done for me." he whispered fondly. The Salamander gave no response as they touched down in front of the hangar where they left.

Hurriedly, Sam shut the zoid down again and scrambled to his room before he would be missed. Exhausted from the weeks of work and the ecstasy of his sudden flight, he collapsed into bed with his shoes and jacket still on. His mother either took no notice or pretended not to when she came to wake him only a few minutes later.

"I know how much you loved working on that zoid." She whispered. "It's really the best job you have ever done. You should be there when the owner appreciates it . . . and to say good bye." With sadness and exhaustion, Sam could only nod as he followed her back to the hangar where his father and several strangers were waiting.

"Ah and here is the man of the hour!" Aaron beamed; Pops looked extremely proud in the early morning light. "Sam here repaired your Salamander all by himself; the rest of us wouldn't even go near that wreck!"

"Your devotion to the zoid shows greatly in the craftsmanship. Thank you very much, young man." The distinguished old man Pops had been talking to smiled at Sam and bowed respectfully.

At first, Sam had thought that this man was the Salamander's pilot, but then the gentleman's companion came back from inspecting the zoid. "So this guy was the only person near my Salamander?" she leered.

_My God, this girl is so much younger than I am!_ Sam thought. _She's this Salamander's pilot?_ Then he remembered the horrible state that it came to them in. _Still, she is kind of pretty._

"Yes miss." Aaron replied. "No one really loves aerials as much as my son."

The girl smiled and nodded in reply, then without another word, she leapt for Sam and tackled him to the ground. Before anyone could stop her, both hands had wrapped themselves around his throat with incredible strength for someone so young. There was little Sam could do to fight back; she _was_ a girl after all, never mind the fact that she was also crushing his wind pipe.

"You stole my zoid!" she screamed. "Are you that stupid, freak? Did you think I wouldn't notice you took it for a joy-ride!"

With a desperate tug, the pilot's father finally freed Sam from his daughter's death grip, but not before she managed to strike one more time, leaving him with a black eye. The girl continued to struggle for another shot at him, yelling obscenities with every breath.

To Sam's mixed pride and shame, his father was the first person to defend him. "Now see here! I don't care just who you are, but my son does not steal!"

"Listen old man, I may be young but it is still MY Salamander and I can sure as hell tell when the thing's been flown, and recently too!" the girl spat. In the corner of Sam's blurred vision, he saw the Salamander sparkle as if enchanted by the morning's light. How could he have been so stupid? The zoid still shimmered with droplets of water that had been collected when he flew through the clouds!

Aaron's confidence in his son wavered for only a second, but that was all it took to see the look of panic and shame in his son's eyes. "Sam, is what she says true?"

"I was making sure that the repairs were correct. I brought it back without a scratch." He whispered a lie that not even he could truly believe.

The gentleman smiled. "There now, you see? He only wanted to ensure that you would not crash it _again_."

Sam was at a loss for words. There was no doubt that this man saw through him, certainly Pops did; so why was he still being defended?

"No harm done; in fact, you should be thanking him."

"Thanking him my ass!" the girl stabbed an accusing finger at him. "Don't think I don't know what was really going through that fat head of yours!"

In the end, the gentleman actually paid the family extra money for Sam's impressive work. After the pleasantries had been exchanged, he and his daughter took leave of the Rohia repair hangars, the Salamander in tow. Only then did Aaron vent his anger.

The old man's face was contorted with grief, red and raw with the strain of controlling his emotions. "You betrayed the trust of not only the customer, but of me! You deliberately stole from another person to satisfy your own selfish desires!"

"Please I-"

"From this day on, you are not to work _near_ another aerial zoid! Each break will be spent _in doors_! Your mother and I will find other short-term punishments when we've had a chance to think!" His wife walking silently as he followed behind her, the older Rohia slamming the hangar door behind him, leaving Sam alone in the dark. It was only then, that Aaron could safely cry. Not for the injustices that his son had done; they could be forgiven in time. The old man wept for the ways he had wronged Sam, both long ago and just several minutes prior.

For the next two years of his life, Sam Rohia endured his father's punishment without protest. His heart remained wretched with resentment, but Sam clung to the euphoria granted to him during that first flight as he would a life preserver in a sea of despair. He had actually been to heaven and back; nothing is father could do would take the feeling away. Daydreaming about the sky stirred longing in his heart, turning it into nothing less than an addiction. Trying to resist, Sam focused himself on his work, so that the days would pass sooner.

On occasion, the gentleman returned with more zoids for the Rohias to repair. Once in a while, he would even go out of his way to talk to Sam and spend time with him. The girl was no longer with him though, but that was the least of Sam's concerns. He had made a vow to fly again and so help him if it would not come soon enough.

After a particularly violent storm had wrought havoc in their area, Sam was sent with his older brother out to the beach a mile away on a scrap run. These times were by far, the longest he was allowed to spend outside, and even then it was under super vision. Because the nearby sea was so rich in mineral deposits, any metal from sunken zoids rarely decayed. There were always parts washing up on the rocks after heavy rain and sometimes, they were even salvageable. The tide after a storm would be a perfect a time as any to go scavenging. Sam and his brother mingled among the crabs and scuttled across the rock clusters, picking every nut and bolt they found. Nothing was invaluable to them; somehow, they would find a use. To their disappointment, the storm delivered less than spectacular results, leaving the sack not even half full. With the beach picked clean, the Rohia brothers were about to climb the slope back to the Gustav when a sudden blast of euphoria hit Sam like a title wave.

It washed over him and drenched his body from head to toe in bliss. Unable to control himself, Sam lost his footing and rolled back down as his legs turned gelatinous with pleasure. It seemed so long ago, but he recognized the feeling anywhere! It was the exact same sensation that Sam felt the first time he flew . . . only much stronger. When the bliss finally subsided, it left a small burning feeling in the back of his head, as if he had come too close to an open flame. But where had it come from?

"Sam!" his brother shouted. "You okay?"

Still searching for words, Sam only nodded in reply. Warily, he stood and began to mount the slope again when the euphoria struck for a second time. Sam Rohia hit the ground with limbs flailing in a blissful seizure. It was so potent, how could he resist it? The burning in the back of his head was stronger now, and continued to replace his own thoughts with visions of a creature in flight, a flesh and blood animal Sam had never seen before, swooping like an eagle on beautiful red wings. With each cry from its narrow beak, the creature could summon thunder as if the elements were his to control.

"Sam, don't move! I'll lower Gustav's cable down to you!" his brother's cries were mute to Sam; he had become too distracted with the great apparition before him. The more he concentrated on the being, the greater it appeared to him, in a myriad of depictions! Cruising just above sea level at super sonic speeds, a wall of water rising in its wake! Silhouetted against the moon—light illuminating veins in its transparent wings; the images were almost too real to believe! Without warning, all of the images vanished as suddenly as they had come.

In their place, was the thought of a location so real, Sam could have sworn he was actually looking at it. It took him another moment to realize that he had in fact, seen it many times before! The place in Sam's head was a sheltered cove no more than several hundred yards away.

No one in their family had ventured near the area because it was walled off by incredibly high and jagged cliffs. Other than by sea, the only possible way in would have been to scale a series of high rocks where a stray wave could easily smash into someone during a crossing. If the water didn't rip them to shreds against he sharp stone, it would have dragged them out to sea. Now that same area seemed to be summoning Sam with the same, heavenly attraction that the sky always had. Rising for a second time, he was compelled to place one foot in front of the other until they carried him to the great barrier. In the distance, Sam heard the desperate cries of his brother, but they seemed so insignificant and ugly compared to the entrancing visions that guided him. Unable to reach Sam, his older brother could only watch as his sibling moved ever closer to apparent doom.

Without slowing, Sam leapt upon the wall of rock and scrambled across the barrier as if he had done it for most of his life. On more than one occasion, the waves rose higher than the wall and threatened to swamp him, but as if manipulated by some unseen force, Sam nimbly evaded each attempt on his life, defying one of nature's greatest deathtraps; he would not be denied whatever awaited him!

When a rugged patch of ocean was the only thing that stood between him and shore, Sam dove head long into the rolling surf! The instant his skin touched water, it was as if the sea tried to devour him. Its frigid temperature numbed him to the bone and hindered his movements, while wave after torrential wave came down upon his head, trying to force him under; oxygen was burned and lost in a frantic attempt to gain more! Sam had no estimate of how long he fought the ocean, but when his survival instincts died and true consciousness returned, he was lying face down on the shore, beached in the icy shade of an enormous piece of reef almost completely draped in seaweed. Placing a trembling hand on the structure, Sam attempted to pull himself to his feet, only to suddenly be thrown back as the entire thing moved! Stronger than ever, the ecstasy washed over Sam; driving cold away from his tortured body and filling him with new life that was not his own. Again, the flying god-creature haunted his mind, but the images grew more vivid and refused to leave, not that Sam would ever want them to. Amidst the beast's calls and cries, single comprehensible word entered Sam's mind. It was a name he had never heard before, yet knew almost instantly.

"Radon . . ." There was a sickening grown as the heap next to him began to move under its own power, dislodging decades of oceanic debris to reveal a deep red exterior of metal.

Rising above the sounds of tortured iron and crunching gravel, came a cry that radiated with strength and energy that until now, Sam had only heard in his head. Straining his vision to its limit, he was astounded to see that the object was not coral, but instead, the tattered remains of a zoid! A pair of fierce golden slits stared back at him from what remained of the machine's head. Whatever it was, it was alive, if only barely. Could it have been the zoid itself that had contacted Sam and brought him there?

"Sam!" From the towering cliffs above came the voice of his brother, and many others. Sam craned his head to see that his entire family had arrived to rescue him. Some bore faces red with anger at his foolish trek, but many more were simply relieved that he was alive.

"More than alive." He said to the zoid beside him. "I've found you."

In the hours that followed, Sam refused to be saved unless 'Radon' was also lifted to safety; the very thought of it made his father furious. Aaron Rohia was tempted to simple leave his son down there; in the end, it was the combined efforts of Sam's mother and sisters that turned the tide in his son's favor.

When the old man saw the zoid up close, he tried to shove it back over the edge with his bear hands! The attempt was laughable, but fearing for the man's safety, everyone struggled to restrain him.

"Dad, do you have any idea what this is?"

Sam's father glared back at his son. "It is a zoid past its last legs."

"No, you know much more than that. It's a Storm Sworder . . . a living one, without a pilot or registration . . . my Storm Sworder."

"We are not keeping that . . . that thing!" Aaron fumed. The memories of Sam's crime were still fresh in his mind, and he could not stand to look at the flier without vomiting.

"This can't be coincidence dad! Flying is in my blood as much as repairing, and suddenly Radon appears, calling to me! You even said that maybe a flier would find me one day, remember? If you won't help repair him for me, at least do it for the zoid. That has been our philosophy, right?"

For a moment, his father was speechless. "Yes, but only when the zoid has a chance of actually surviving."

"The Salamander wasn't much worse than this."

"The Salamander still had freaking _limbs_ and what could pass for a body, this thing is barely a head connected to its core! We can't afford to use that much of our resources to fix a zoid in this state without profit. The Storm Sworder will probably die in a few hours anyway."

Sam shook his head. "Radon has survived this long on pure will if not the mineral rich seas, long enough for me to come along. He will pull through."

But his father remained firm, there was no way that the Rohias would be able to repair the creature for free; at best, they would have to sell it in the morning. For hours on end, Sam lay awake in bed, contemplating, stalling, trying to find another way; but in the end, he could see no alternative. He could not let the zoid slip from his grasp. Unable to face the idea of losing his new zoid and his second chance at freedom, Sam made the most difficult decision of his life.

In the dead of night, Sam loaded the tattered zoid on to a trailer and set out into the desert with it. Only his mother was there to see the Gustav off.

End Chapter 2

Episode Preview:

Everyone is born to live their own life, no matter how hard others try to control them. A seabird caught in the ocean's current must find his wings before the sea takes him to his doom. Next time on Zoids: Kaiju Thunder, On Blood-Red Wings Part 2


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